The Yellow Umbrella Chronicles
by Charlie'sLostVampire
Summary: Ted Mosby recalls the various stories of after having met the mother in which her yellow umbrella found its way back into their lives... over and over again. Rating may change as the story progresses.
1. Prologue

_Kids, you remember your mother's yellow umbrella, don't you; the one I accidentally stole from her and accidentally returned? Well, the stories involving that umbrella definitely don't stop there. In fact, that umbrella was present in most our major relationship moments. I like to call it "The Yellow Umbrella Chronicles"- _

"Dad, that's so dorky."

_-Oh, come on. It's clever! Where was I?_

"The dorky title you gave-"

_-major relationship moments involving your mother's yellow umbrella, and it's not dorky. Your mother helped me come up with that one._

"How does that make it any less dorky, Dad?"

_It just… does. I don't know. Will you stop interrupting? Now, where to start… Well, I guess it would make sense to start with that night in Farhampton, wouldn't it? _

"FINALLY!"

_What? I've only been telling the story for two and a half hours! _

"It feels like it's been eight years, Dad."

_Oh, don't be so dramatic. Let's see… the wedding had ended about two and a half hours ago, and I'd stayed long enough to make my speech and watch the first dance before I left to catch my train back to the city…_


	2. Farhampton

It was a dreary night; one so poor and stormy that no one would ever guess it was actually a happy occasion. Barney and Robin had just tied the knot, with an unsurprisingly extravagant ceremony, and everyone was ecstatic for them. Well, almost everyone.

Ted Mosby couldn't be more miserable. The one girl he'd felt so sure he'd eventually end up marrying was out of the picture. She was claimed in a way that he couldn't interfere with, and he would never even if he wanted to. Robin would never be his, and it ate at him in a way he couldn't even describe. So, instead of bringing everyone at the after party down and making his unhappiness obvious, he left. Currently, he was sitting on a bench at the Farhampton train station under an onning to avoid the rain, rereading _Love in the Time of Cholera _for the umpteenth time. It was almost sadistic of him to read it given the current situation; a book in which the girl of the main character's dreams marries another man, and years later he shows up at his funeral to win her back. He'd never do that to Barney… would he?

Of course he wouldn't. Sighing, Ted shook his head. He'd spent roughly an hour telling the woman on the bench beside him his sob story, and when she'd gotten tired of him he'd resorted to reading the one book he always carried with him when he traveled. It was just a coincidence. Jumping when he heard a crack of thunder overhead, Ted caught sight of the last thing he expected to see on this dreary, pathetic night; a ray of light.

Not the train headlights, or stars, or even a sliver of the moon; no, it was a figurative ray of light. Just a glimpse, and for a second he thought he was seeing things. But no, there it was, sticking out like a sore thumb in the middle of such a depressing atmosphere; a yellow umbrella. Had it been any other colour, Ted would have just brushed it off carelessly, but it was _yellow_. He'd given up on destiny a long time ago, but for just a sliver of an instant, hope of its existence flared up in him again. That umbrella looked exactly like the one he'd found at the location of that crap St. Patrick's Day party he'd let Barney convince him to go to; the same umbrella he'd left at Cindy's place when she dumped him; Cindy, who happened to have a roommate who had sounded like the perfect girl; the perfect girl whom, if Ted remembered correctly, happened to be in the band that had played at the very wedding he'd just been attending.

_Destiny._

But what if it wasn't? He'd been so sure his past relationships had been destiny in the making, and look how they all turned out. All "destiny" had ever done was burn him and bite him in the ass for believing in it.

Yet, just as the pessimistic thoughts entered his mind, a gust of wind from the oncoming storm blew their way, catching the girl's umbrella and tearing it from her hand, leaving her standing in the downpour. Jumping to his feet without thinking; he told himself it was out of common courtesy; Ted dropped his book on the bench and ran after it, getting decently wet himself before he finally caught the umbrella, realizing for certain as soon as he did that it had been "his" yellow umbrella; it had a small knick in the handle from that time he got it caught in the door on the way into his apartment. Hurrying back to the girl, who looked like a drowned rat now, Ted held the umbrella over the two of them, causing a small smile to pull at her lips.

"Thanks," she said, clutching her guitar case as her hair clung to her cheeks, her jacket soaked.

"Don't mention it," Ted insisted, extending his freehand to her, "I'm Ted. Ted Mosby."

"Mosby?" she asked, shaking his hand before pushing her wet hair out of her face, "Weren't you at the Stinson wedding?"

"Yeah," he answered simply, forcing a small smile.

"Then what are you doing at the train station?" she questioned over the pounding of the rain on her umbrella, "Shouldn't you be at some fancy after party?"

"Shouldn't you?" he asked her simply, wondering why she wasn't still playing with the rest of the band. "I saw you at the reception. You're good; great, actually."

She blushed at his words, clearly flattered, but shook her head. "A friend of mine was at the wedding; she asked if I could babysit for her tomorrow, so I have to head back to New York."

Ted was willing to bet that friend was Cindy, but he didn't want to mention that just yet. "Oh."

"Thank you, by the way," she added in, blushing more with embarrassment for her lack of manners, "for the compliment. I've been playing for nearly ten years…"

Grinning, Ted nodded. "I've always liked a woman who plays bass."

She laughed at that, and he observed the way her eyes twinkled when she did so. He could see why this girl had stolen away so many girls from Cindy, as awful as it was for him to think; she was captivating in a sweet, charming sort of way. He wanted to know her.

"Dear!"

Blinking, Ted turned when he heard the woman on the bench call out to him. "Uh… yes?"

"You forgot your book!"

"Oh."

Reluctantly, he gave the girl back her umbrella to go get the book. Pleased when he heard her follow and put the umbrella down when she was under the onning, he looked up when she said, "_Love in the Time of Cholera_? That's my favorite book!"

Smiling widely, Ted nodded in agreement, flipping the pages absently. "Mine too. I've read it at least twenty times."

She opened her mouth, clearly about to launch into a full blown conversation about the novel, but she was cut off by the train whistle not far in the distance.

They ended up sitting together on the ride back to New York, discussing books and life in general. He learned that her name was Jessica Milonsi, and she was an Aquarius. She liked Star Wars nearly as much as he did, painted robots playing sports for fun (which he had already known, but oh well), and she'd been in a few musicals back in college. This lead to him finding out that she had been in that disastrous Economics class he'd accidentally tried to teach his first day at the university. He'd been humiliated when she said so, certain she wouldn't want to be involved with someone who couldn't even spell "professor", but was surprised to discover she'd thought his mistake was endearing. If only she'd said so that day, it may have saved him a lot of time and heartache.

Around what Ted assumed was probably three in the morning she fell asleep in the seat beside him after they shared a few cookies, her head lolling on his arm as she curled up in her seat. He couldn't help but smile. Sure, she was no Robin Scherbatsky, but she was wonderful in her own way. She was different. She was special.

All because of that ridiculous yellow umbrella, he may have just stumbled upon the biggest adventure of his entire life.


	3. One Month Anniversary

Autumn in the year of 2013 was a wet one. The streets were constantly flooded, and no one ever left home without their umbrella, for fear of getting caught in a surprise downpour from the constant overcast overhead. The majority of the city's populous hadn't seen the sun for weeks.

However, despite the dreary weather and crabby New Yorkers, Ted Mosby had never been happier. It was odd for him to be so chipper, considering his dream girl had married his best friend a few weeks ago, but he was. For the first time in months, Ted woke up and went to bed with a smile on his face; and it was all because of her.

Jessica Milonsi was like his personal ray of sunshine. She walked into a room and her smile lit it up, and the hug she would greet him with made him feel warm inside and out, just like basking in sunlight would. You couldn't help being happy around her; she was just one of those people.

Although, even if he was happy, that didn't make the rain not annoying; it was the one month anniversary of the day the two of them had met, and Ted had wanted to do something special. His initial thought had been a picnic in Central Park, but that was clearly out due to the constant on again-off again rainfall. So, instead, they were walking to an Italian restaurant down the street from her apartment building, the two of them huddled beneath her umbrella to avoid the shower. The only problem was that, while it worked fine when they were standing still, sharing an umbrella while walking wasn't as simple of a task.

"Ted, I'm getting wet," Jessica stated unhappily, struggling to stay under the umbrella as well as they walked, and he sighed.

"Sorry. Why don't you try standing closer?"

"I _am_ close," she stated with a small frown, her pace quickening a bit, "but you keep walking ahead of me, and my back is getting soaked."

"Well, if I don't walk fast, we're going to be late for our reservation and we could lose our table."

"You're being ridiculous," she stated huffily, grabbing his hand to hold the umbrella more firmly over her own head, causing his arm to get wet. "They won't give away our table if we're a few minutes late. You reserved it a week ago."

Frowning as his jacket sleeve began to sop with water, Ted pulled the umbrella back over a bit to stop the rain from getting at it. "They're a busy place, Jessica. They want to make money. Don't underestimate them."

Rolling her eyes, she gave another tug at the umbrella. "Stop _hogging_ it, Ted. I'm in a dress! If my legs get wet, I'll get sick."

Scoffing, he tugged the umbrella back in his direction again. "Now who's being ridiculous?"

Scowling now, she tugged the umbrella harshly. "It's _my_ umbrella!"

"Which you wouldn't even have if I hadn't found it at that party," he remarked, tugging just as hard, and she grabbed it with both hands, trying to pull it from his grasp.

"Ted, give it here-!"

Her words trailed off when she lost her grip on the umbrella handle and fell backwards, right into a puddle on the sidewalk, gasping as she got soaked. Ted gaped at her for a minute, making sure she was alright before he slowly began to shake with silent laughter.

"You're _laughing?_" she asked with disbelief as the rain covered her dress and hair, making her shiver as she frowned, "You're _laughing_ at me!"

"I'm sorry, I just…" he tried to cover himself up, but he had no real excuse; she just looked hilariously cute sitting in that puddle with her hair stuck to her face, similar to how it had looked when he first spoke to her. However, apparently fate wasn't on his side, because at that very second karma struck, and a passing taxi hit a puddle, splashing him and soaking him just as badly as she was. Now it was Jessica's turn to laugh, a hand flying to cover her mouth as her eyes danced with mirth and satisfaction.

Groaning, Ted shook out his wet hair, shivering. Now they were going to be late, and they'd never be let in; not dripping wet and looking homeless. He was contemplating possible solutions to their problem when suddenly Jessica gave a tug on his hand, pulling him down onto the sidewalk with her swiftly, and he gasped with surprise, landing right on his ass in a puddle. She giggled, her anger at him having evaporated, and Ted couldn't help smiling faintly.

"You look like a kitten that got caught in a storm," he stated sheepishly, taking off his still marginally dry jacket and draping it over her shoulders. Laughing, she held it on with one hand, reaching over to fix his wet hair.

"You look like a drowned sewer rat."

Scoffing, Ted shook his head. "Gee, thanks."

Jessica smiled fondly at him despite his sarcastic remark, her hand sliding down to cup his cheek. "Happy One Month Anniversary, Mosby," she stated, and he smiled faintly, reaching over to tuck her hair behind her ear.

"Right back 'atcha, Milonsi…"

There, on the sidewalk as the rain soaked them on the bone, Ted finally felt brave enough to lean in and press his lips to hers as her hand lingered on his cheek. The kiss was soft, if not a bit hesitant, but it was the sweetest either of them had ever experienced. Sure, they didn't get their fancy Italian food, but beers back at her apartment while they snuggled under a blanket and watched cheesy movies to get warm was even better.

The yellow umbrella sat in the corner by the door, in the exact spot Ted had put it the day he caught a glimpse of his future girlfriend's foot after she had a shower. You could call it fate, if you wanted to; Ted did.


	4. Waiting for a Girl like You

Was following her dreams really a lost cause? Coming home from a long, discouraging day, Jessica was finally starting to think so. All she'd wanted for years was to either make a living off her robot paintings, or for the band to make it big. Seeing as though the only people who had ever thought her paintings weren't odd were Ted and his friends, the first option was out, so she'd hoped that, somehow, things with the band would work out.

Needless to say, things with the band were _not_ working out. They hadn't landed a gig since the Stinson wedding months ago, and the guitarist was talking about just calling it quits and disbanding. Jessica, who was only making a living at the moment by teaching music classes at the civic center, was mortified by the idea. But who was going to listen to the bassist preach about her hopes and aspirations for them all? It was no secret that they all found her antics a bit irritating.

To make matters worse, she was spending the night alone. Ted was up in Chicago for the week working on nabbing a job teaching an architecture course at UIC. The only person she wanted to see now was more than eleven hours out of her reach. Frowning weakly, she sat the bass guitar-case down at her feet, pulling out her key to unlock the door.

As soon as she opened the door, she knew something odd was going on. For one thing, "Waiting for a Girl like You" by Foreigner was playing on the stereo, and she knew she hadn't left it on; she also knew for a fact she didn't own any Foreigner CDs. Smiling a bit, not daring to hope, she sat her keys down on the coffee table, putting her case on the floor, and walked toward the kitchen. As soon as she was within the proper range, she was hit with the delicious aroma of cupcakes and all but ran into the room.

"You're here!" she cried, all but leaping into the arms of the man standing at the oven, and he stumbled back a few steps, ending up against the counter with his arms around her, laughing as she covered his face in kisses.

"Hey!" he cried with just as much happiness, and she beamed up at him.

"What are you doing here? I thought you weren't taking the train in until Saturday."

Grinning, he nodded toward the table in the middle of the apartment which was visible through the kitchen entryway. "I borrowed your umbrella last weekend, remember? Needless to say, I checked the forecast yesterday, and it was calling for rain in New York, so…" Grinning, he poked her nose. "I didn't want anything to rain on my girlfriend's parade."

"You rode on a noisy train for eleven hours just to give me my umbrella?" she asked him skeptically, and he held up a finger.

"Ah, ah, ah; I also made cupcakes."

Laughing, she nodded, inhaling deeply. "I can _smell_ that… The question is: why?"

"What, am I not allowed to spoil you?" he asked, rubbing her back, and she gave him her signature look.

"Come on…"

Sighing, he reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear with a small smile. "Alright, alright; Cindy called me while I was on the train. The band broke up?"

_Damn it_, Jessica thought to herself, cursing Cindy, _I knew I shouldn't have called her_.

"We might be…" she said quietly, and her excited smile slipped at the mention of it. "They haven't decided yet."

"Don't you get any say in it?" he asked with a small frown, gently running his hands along her sides, and she sighed.

"They don't listen to me. I'm just the peppy bassist who's only in the band because I can carry a tune. They don't care that the band is all I have…"

"You have me," Ted reminded her, and she gave him a faint smile, nodding.

"I know I do, and I'm lucky, but you're away so much, and the band makes me happy… We haven't had a gig since Barney and Robin's wedding, so I can see why they're losing faith, but… Oh, I don't know…"

Frowning weakly, Jessica pulled out of his arms, walking out of the kitchen to sit at the table, fiddling with the umbrella laying there. Following her, Ted sighed, placing his hands on her shoulders and kissing her hair.

"Chicago is only a temporary thing, until I can-"

"Until you can get everything in the house finished; I know, Ted, I know. But I still miss you." Looking up at him, her eyes were sad and the loneliness in them ate him alive. Taking her hand, he pulled her to her feet and into his arms, holding her tightly as the music played softly in the background.

"Do you know how to waltz?" he asked her suddenly, hating seeing her upset, hoping his idea would cheer her up.

"A little…" she said with a bit of uncertainty, looking up at him, "Why?"

Grinning, Ted pulled her down the hall and into the living room, grabbing the stereo remote from the coffee table and turning the song up. She furrowed her brow, gasping when he spun her under his arm and pulled her close, leading her in a soft, swaying dance that made her heart flutter.

"You're so…"

"Spontaneous? Talented? A perfect boyfriend?"

"I was going to say crazy, but those work, too," she stated, quirking a small smile and releasing a quiet laugh. Grinning, he twirled her again before pulling her close, laying his cheek atop her head.

"You like my crazy…"

"I do… very much…" she agreed, pressing her cheek to his chest as they swayed to the music.

"And I think your crazy is incredibly cool…" he stated, grinning softly, and she smiled as she peeked up at him.

"You don't mind that I make breakfast food sing show tunes?"

"Are you kidding?" he questioned, dipping her so she was clutching his arms, gazing up into his eyes. "_Memories_ as sang by an English muffin is the most _hauntingly beautiful_ thing I have ever heard."

Pulling her back up, Ted gazed fondly down at her, and she smiled as she held onto his arms. In that moment, everything in her life felt right, despite the fact that her career was a mess and she was absolutely terrified about the future. Somehow, Ted Mosby always had a way of making her smile through the fear.

"Ted?"

"Mmm?" he questioned as he gazed down at her, and her next words made his heartbeat falter and then pick up in his chest.

"I love you."

Suddenly, he found himself flashing back to that first date with Robin. The grand gestures, the smurf penis, the olives, the dancing, the awkward accidental "I love you". The situation almost paralleled this one perfectly.

Except they couldn't be more different. When he had told Robin he loved her, it had been a fluke. He'd been caught up in the moment, possibly a bit drunk, and desperate for love. But here, with Jessica in his arms, the scent of cupcakes in the air and their umbrella on the table, everything felt… perfect. Like it was always meant to be this way; them together, like this. Her saying she loved him wasn't a fluke; she really meant it. Instead of scaring him, it made Ted feel like he was flying a mile high and might never come down.

His gaze turning to one filled and shining with love, he gave her hand a squeeze, their dance forgotten. "I love you, too." This time, Ted Mosby was sure. This time he meant it. He loved this girl, and he wasn't letting her get away. Not this time. "I love you, so much…"

The moment was perfect. It was subtle, yet grand enough that he'd never forget it. Holding her closer, they swayed blissfully to the Foreigner song which would, from that point on, be known as "their song", and, as they danced, Ted kissed her. He kissed her, and all of their problems melted away, replaced with that bliss they only felt with each other, even if it was just for a little while.

_Sure, the cupcakes were a little burned, but kids? Your mother and I ate all of them. Then we fell asleep on her couch, just talking and smiling and loving each other… and it was perfect._


	5. The Mosby Medical Magic

_Kids, as you both know, nothing makes you feel better when you're sick than having your mother take care of you. It's pure magic and I'll never know how she does it. I'll also never forget the first time she got sick, and I wound up being the one taking care of her. I was up at the house, working on a few finishing touches in one of the upstairs bathrooms when I got her phone call, asking me not to visit because she had a nasty cold. Of course, your good old dad took that as a cry for help from his damsel in distress, and I headed straight to your mother's apartment… _

… . … . …

"Jess?"

Letting himself into the apartment, thanks to the key she had given him, Ted Mosby frowned a bit when his call gained him no response. It was just a cold, right? He wasn't going to find her dead on the floor somewhere. That was ridiculous.

Yet he still ran through the place so fast he almost tripped on her rug by the couch, skidding toward her bedroom door and stumbling into the room. He found her asleep, cuddled up under a pile of blankets, her nose red from blowing it so much. Smiling faintly, Ted crossed the room to adjust her blankets, giving her a small, apologetic smile when she opened her eyes.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

"Ted?" she croaked out, her voice hoarse as she started to wake up a bit more. "What are you doing here…? I told you…" cough, "I'm…" sneeze, "sick."

Giving her a small smile, Ted reached over to push her bangs out of her face, most of her hair tied back in a careless, messy ponytail. "All the more reason for me to come right away," he stated, making sure she was warm enough as he sat perched on the edge of her bed. "Can I get you anything?"

"No…" She looked embarrassed, actually, and Ted couldn't understand why.

"What is it?" he asked upon noticing her expression, and she sniffled quietly, hiding half of her face with a tissue.

"I didn't want you to see me like this," she stated, somewhat miserably, "I'm a mess, and I look disgusting. I'm not even dressed or showered…"

"You're _sick_," he stated, shaking his head at her worries, "You're right where you need to be; resting. Now tell me, honestly: is there anything I can get for you?"

Sighing, she closed her eyes for a minute, a headache starting to build within her skull. "A few Tylenol would be nice," she informed him as she sank back into her pink pillows, and Ted nodded, getting to his feet.

"Kitchen?" he asked, and she shook her head.

"Bathroom, in the cabinet over the sink," she explained, and he nodded, starting to walk out into the hall until she called after him, "Ted…?"

"Yeah?" he asked, turning again at the doorway, and she gave him a tiny smile, her eyes tired but appreciative.

"Thank you…"

_As it turned out, your mother didn't have any Tylenol; the bottle in the cabinet over the bathroom sink was empty. So, rather than have her go out and get it herself, I offered to run to the nearest drugstore and get her some, along with anything else she needed or wanted. Her list was as follows…_

"One bottle of Tylenol, two boxes of tissues, a bottle of grape flavored cough syrup, nasal spray, a case of ginger ale, and cough drops."

Going about putting everything into a basket, Ted was absently grateful that she hadn't asked him to get her tampons or something like that; sure, he loved the girl to death, but he wasn't sure if they were… _there_ yet.

Once he had retrieved it all, Ted headed up to the counter to pay. Jessica had tried to give him money for all of it, but he had refused; it was just a few things to help her get better. He didn't mind paying for it in the slightest. It was the least he could do, and he planned to do more.

"Have a sick kid at home?" the cashier asked as she rang everything in, and Ted couldn't help but feel a bit lousy at her words. Was it bad that he wished he could say yes? Of course, he wouldn't want his future child to be sick, but it would be nice to just _have_ that child. Really, really nice…

"Uh, no; no, a girlfriend, actually," he explained, nodding a bit awkwardly with a small smile, and the cashier gave him a sympathetic look he knew all too well. It was the, "oh, so you're still only dating and you're how old?" look. He frequently received it at parties and family reunions. It sucked, and he couldn't stand it, but he wasn't just going to rush into things with Jessica to make that feeling go away. He wanted it to work between them, and rushing had never benefitted him in the long run in the past. Just look at how things with Stella ended up.

"She must have that nasty cold going around," the cashier stated, looking at him with a small grin, "Aren't you worried about catching it?"

"Oh, no," Ted stated, waving a dismissive hand and shaking his head, "I'll be fine. My immune system is in tiptop shape."

Shaking her head, she seemed to be trying not to laugh. "That's what they all say," she stated, handing him his bag after he paid, and Ted sighed as he left the drugstore and began the walk back uptown. It was no one else's business how fast or how slow things with he and Jessica were going; not even Barney, who had taken up the habit of frequently calling him and asking if he'd "done it in any freaky positions with robot painter girl yet." Unsurprisingly, he and Robin were thrilled that it had been their wedding that had helped Ted find the girl of his dreams. It was harder for Lily and Marshall to stay up to date on everything, given how expensive long distance calls were, but they emailed and video chatted as often as they could with their busy schedules.

"I'm back!" Ted finally called when he arrived back at the apartment, bringing everything into the bedroom again, setting the case of soda on the floor and putting the bag of other items on the bed as he sat down. "Cough medicine and drops, nasal spray, Tylenol, and two boxes of tissues. Take your pick, beautiful."

"Oh, stop it," she chided with a sniffle, grabbing the Tylenol first and taking the bottle out of its box, fiddling with the protective seal under the cap. "I have a runny nose, red eyes, and my hair is awful. I'm not beautiful."

"Hey," he objected softly, shaking his head at her words, tilting her chin up and briefly distracting her from opening the small bottle of pills. "You're beautiful, no matter what. So you have the sniffles and your eyes are a bit puffy; it's natural. It doesn't change how you look to me."

"How…?" she asked with confusion, sniffling again, and Ted passed her a tissue to wipe her nose.

"You're beautiful to me because of who you are," he stated, taking her freehand as she held the tissue to her nose. "Even if they're a bit red and puffy, your eyes are still kind and honest, and full of love… Your smile still makes my heart skip a beat because I live to see it, and everything about you is still the girl I fell in love with." Smiling softly, Ted reached up to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear. "She's just a little sick, that's all."

Smiling softly, Jessica took the tissue away from her nose, her eyes welling with tears, which probably wouldn't help matters with her nose, but she couldn't help it. Her voice wavering a bit, she let one or two fall. "Oh, Ted…"

Mirroring her smile, he leaned in to kiss her, pausing when she stopped him.

"Oh, no, don't! You'll get sick, too…"

Shaking his head, Ted grinned softly, not even caring as he went ahead and pressed a soft, tender kiss to her lips anyway. Keeping it slow and sweet, he pulled back after a moment, glad to see a flush in her cheeks that wasn't caused by a fever.

"It'll be worth it," he assured her, smiling softly as he moved to open the Tylenol for her.

Later that night, after it had started to pour rain outside, Jessica had requested he make her some chicken noodle soup, and he'd frowned when he realized she didn't have any of that, either. So, almost out of habit, he took the yellow umbrella from its perch by the door and made his way down to that same drugstore given that it was the closest, sighing when he realized it was still the same cashier as earlier. She'd no doubt have more questions once she recognized him, and he wasn't in the mood. He just wanted to get back to Jessica before any thunder started; she didn't like storms at all, and being sick on top of that would be awful for her.

"Nice umbrella," she commented when he reached the checkout with the can of instant chicken noodle soup, and Ted sighed.

"Thanks. It's my girlfriend's," he stated, and he gritted his teeth when she gave him that same look again.

"You two share an umbrella and you're still only dating? Sounds like it's more serious than you're giving it credit for."

Shaking his head as she rang up his one lonely item, Ted tried not to frown.

"We're taking things slow," he explained, even though he really didn't have to, "We both just got out of bad relationships recently, and we don't want to rush this. We want it to work. _I_ want it to work."

"I can tell," she stated with a grin as she put the soup in a bag, and Ted frowned at her statement.

"How can you possibly tell? You don't know her, or me; you don't even know my _name._"

She blinked a bit at his small outburst, the receipt printing out in the silence. "Well, given that you've come down here twice today for her, the second time in the pouring rain with nothing but an umbrella to keep you dry, I'd say you want things to work," she stated simply, trying to be delicate, and Ted paused before deflating.

"Oh," he said simply, feeling like a total ass for snapping at a stranger like that. "Oh… Yeah, you're right. Look, I'm sorry…"

"Don't be. I understand what it's like; the girl you care about is sick, and you're anxious to get back to her."

Ted nodded in agreement, taking a deep breath. "How much?"

"It'll be $3.74, please," she asked, and he nodded, handing over the change and taking his bag.

"Thanks."

To Ted's chagrin, the rain had, in fact, worsened while they had talked, and he struggled to run up the street back to Jessica's apartment, not wanting to leave her alone for much longer. When he got there, he immediately put the soup on the stove to heat up before going to check on her.

She had a fever, and that worried him. He knew it was nothing serious; just a common cold; but even the slightest possibility of losing this girl terrified him.

"You're burning up," he said softly, pulling her blankets back, and she sighed uncomfortably.

"You were gone a long time… I tried to sit up to get changed, but I'm so tired…"

Feeling guilty, he pulled her into his arms, helping her out of her pink robe so she wouldn't be as hot, kissing her warm forehead. "I'm sorry… I got stuck talking to the cashier at the drugstore… I tried to hurry…"

"I know, I know…" she assured him softly, and she really did sound exhausted. Grabbing two more Tylenol, he helped her take them with some water before getting her comfortable.

"Sleep, okay? We can reheat your soup later…"

Nodding lethargically, Jessica was asleep within seconds, and Ted gently draped a thin bed sheet over her before getting up and walking to the bathroom, wetting down a cloth with cold water to put over her forehead to help lower her fever. Once that was done, he hurried to check on the soup, stirring it a bit before taking it off the heat and putting the cover on the pot to save it for later.

Instead of working on the house, Ted spent the rest of the weekend nursing his girlfriend back to health, holding her while she napped and getting her anything she needed. The cashier wasn't there again Saturday, or Sunday. Ted wasn't sure if he was relieved or disappointed that no one asked him about his items or his life.

Surely enough, too, as soon as he was back in Chicago, Ted came down with the same nasty cold; and, surely enough, eleven hours after their phone call, Jessica was at his door with soup in one hand, and medicine in the other. She had him feeling better in a little under 24 hours. He liked to call it the Milonsi Medical Magic; or, a few years down the road, the Mosby Medical Magic.


	6. Are You Happy, Universe?

"You almost _married_ another girl?"

_Kids, the story I'm about to tell you isn't a particularly good one. In fact, it's one that I'm kind of ashamed of. You remember Stella, don't you? Tall, blonde, left me at the altar? Well, that's a story I'm kind of ashamed of, too. So, I sort of… didn't tell your mother about it. I know, I know; it was a bad move on my part. Waiting almost six months into our relationship to tell your mother I almost married someone else was bound to end badly._

"It's not a big deal!" Ted cried for the umpteenth time as they both stood in the middle of the living room in Jessica's apartment. Jessica herself was on the verge of hysterics, pacing the room as her breathing shook.

"Not a big deal? _Not a big deal?_ Ted, there's a _movie_ about it!"

"A movie that got the entire situation all wrong!" he said defensively, shaking his head, and he started to speak again before she cut him off.

"It doesn't matter how truthful the plot is!" she cried, tears falling from her eyes as she stopping pacing to face him, her voice breaking as she spoke. "What matters is that we've been together for _six months_ and you didn't tell me any of this!"

"It's not exactly something I'm _proud_ of," he stressed, wishing she'd stop crying. He hated seeing her cry.

"Of course you're not!" she shouted, shaking as she spoke. "How could you be proud of that? But don't you trust me enough to at least tell me?"

Groaning with frustration, Ted put his face in his hands. This was all going wrong. No matter what he said, she retaliated, and nothing he did calmed her down. He should have known better than trying to keep this from her; secrets did nothing but tear a relationship apart. He felt like the world's biggest jerk right now; she'd been nothing but truthful with him from the start, and he'd kept her in the dark about his biggest piece of baggage. He knew he was the bad guy here.

So why couldn't he work up the courage to just admit it, so hopefully they could move on?

"I don't know!" he cried in response to her question, and she whimpered and dropped herself onto the couch, pressing the heels of her hands to her eyes as she cried.

"What have I done to make you not trust me?" she asked him brokenly, and Ted frowned weakly, running a hand through his disheveled dark hair.

"I don't know," he said again, unable to form any other coherent sentences and she frowned as she met his eyes, almost looking angry at his inability to say anything else.

"Is that all you have to say for yourself?" she snapped, clearly hurt and confused, "_I don't know?_"

She was putting him in a difficult position; all he could feel was guilt and conflict, and he was terrified to say anything in case it made things even worse. He was trying to fix this, and screwing it up royally.

"I don't-"

"Get out!" she shouted when he started to repeat his same statement, and she jumped when thunder rumbled outside, the storm that had started about an hour ago positively raging.

"Jessica-" he tried to stop her from making him leave, and she trembled, throwing a pillow at him.

"Get _out!_"

Just narrowly dodging the pillow, Ted slowly backed toward the door. He wasn't going to stay if he wasn't welcome, no matter how much it killed him to leave her when she was upset. "Fine; I'll go…"

"_Good_," she choked out as more angry and confused tears flooded her eyes. When she did nothing to stop him, Ted sagged with a broken frown and walked out the door.

… . … . …

The weather outside was brutal to say the least. It was pouring rain, and very few people were outside on the streets of New York. Streetlamps somewhat illuminating his path, Ted began to walk, not entirely sure of where he was going. When he came up for the weekend, it had been on a whim, and he'd planned to spend the entire time with his girlfriend. Now that she'd kicked him out, possibly forever, because he was too much of a coward to tell her about Stella, he didn't know what the hell to do.

He was getting soaked by the downpour, his hair plastered to his face and his jacket growing heavy on his shoulders. He felt like he deserved the discomfort, and he'd willingly take whatever illness he caught from staying outside in this weather.

He'd finally managed to get the girl of his dreams, and he blew it. What if she didn't take him back? Would he go back to his initial plan of selling the house and move permanently to Chicago? He knew one thing for certain: if he didn't fix things with Jessica, he was just going to give up. If the girl who was literally his perfect woman through and through wasn't the future Mrs. Mosby, then no one was.

"Are you happy, universe?" he shouted at random when his thoughts and self-loathing became too much to stand, looking up at the sky. "Things are finally back to normal! I, Ted Mosby, am miserable as hell and I just blew it with the girl of my dreams! Was this what you had planned all along? You gave her to me just to take her away?"

He was answered with what almost seemed like an angry bang of thunder overhead, and he jumped, sagging with defeat. That _had_ to be a sign from the universe, telling him he was a huge asshole who deserved what he got. "You know what? You're right. Maybe I am just an idiot who doesn't deserve happiness. I'll just watch all my friends move on with their lives, and I'll become that bitter old college professor who couldn't do, so he taught."

There was nothing but more heavy rain to answer him as he cast his gaze back down and started walking again, pausing when a voice grabbed his attention.

"Ted…?"

"Destiny?" he shouted, clearly confused, looking up at the sky again, "You sound much more feminine than I expecte-"

"_Ted._"

Turning around, he froze, spotting Jessica standing a few feet away beneath her umbrella, her cheeks tearstained from makeup. She took a few hesitant steps toward him when he didn't move, stopping when the umbrella was shielding them both from the storm. She didn't say anything; clearly it was his turn to speak. She looked so hurt and heartbroken; he had to fix this.

"I'm so sorry," he finally made himself say over the rain as he placed his hands on her cheeks and wiped away the tear tracks with his thumbs. "I shouldn't have kept the truth about Stella from you. I guess I was afraid that it would change things."

"Change things?" she asked a bit breathlessly, more tears still falling, "Do you truly think this means that little to me? That I would just… throw it all away because you were in a serious relationship that ended badly? Ted, I _love_ you…"

"And I love you," he assured her quickly, not wanting her to doubt it because he'd been a fool. "I know I love you… You've become my whole world. If I lost you, I don't know what I'd do."

"Do you trust me?" she finally asked him quietly, the question having been torturing her so badly that it had made her run after him in her pajamas of all things.

Ted frowned faintly at her doubt, wrapping his arms around her torso, his heart squeezing at how scared she looked. He didn't want to be the reason she had that expression on her face; he didn't want to become just another Louis who would do more harm to this incredible girl than good.

"I love you," he repeated, holding her to his chest as she held her umbrella over them both, "and love is built on trust. I didn't keep this from you because I don't trust you… I kept it from you because I didn't want you to make the connection about that stupid, horrible movie… You wouldn't be the first girl to think I'm actually like the idiot character that jerk based off of me…"

"Ted, I've known you for six months," she stated quietly, shaking her head, "I know you well enough to know that isn't the case…"

Sighing, he nuzzled his face into her hair, still afraid he'd blown it, forcing himself to ask his next question.

"Can you ever trust me again?"

She was quiet for a long time, and Ted felt like he might be sick if she didn't answer him soon. Finally, he exhaled when she spoke.

"I'm tired, cold and getting soaked out here… Come back home and let me think about it while you hold me…"

_And that's exactly what we did. Your mother and I walked back to her apartment, and I just held her for a long time after we got dried off and changed into warm clothes. We didn't even say anything. To be honest, it was the most terrifying few hours of my life. At any moment, she could have said she couldn't trust me again, and asked me to leave. What would I have done then? Well, for starters, you kids wouldn't be sitting here today. Luckily for your old man, she decided to give me a second chance. _

_ Sure, we still had the occasional fight, but nothing like the first one. That's probably because her one condition to her forgiving me was that I tell her every piece of baggage I had ever had, big or small. She fell asleep while I told her the pineapple story. _

_ The moral of this story: don't try to keep secrets from your mother. It will just blow up in your face and leave you screaming at the universe during a rainstorm._

_ Well, maybe not for you two, but still._


End file.
